NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 24 – Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has denounced the trivialization of petitions against judges after his predecessor, Rigathi Gachagua, vowed there would be “consequences” should Chief Justice Martha Koome be removed from office.Kindiki emphasized that the removal of a judge from office is purely a constitutional matter, not a political or ethnic issue. He urged critics to use constitutional and legal arguments to state their positions rather than trivializing the matter.“The removal of a judge from office is purely a constitutional matter and not a political or ethnic issue,” Kindiki said in a brief statement on Monday.“Accusers and defenders of judges must use constitutional and legal arguments to state their positions rather than trivializing such a weighty legal matter by bringing ethnicity into the equation,” he stated.Kindiki warned that viewing petitions against judges through ethic lenses risked eroding the accounatbility of judges under the Judicial Service Commission, which processes public petitions againt judges.“Who defends the judges who may be innocent but do not have ethnic godfathers?” he questioned.His remarks follow fresh accusations by Gachagua on Sunday, in which he alleged that President William Ruto is orchestrating a plan to remove Chief Justice Koome from office.‘Don’t set foot in Meru’Speaking at a church service in Meru County, Gachagua claimed that the alleged move is driven by Koome’s firm stance as head of the Judiciary and her refusal to bow to political pressure.“Let us respect each other. The Meru people have been taken for granted for too long, and it must come to an end. As we speak, the President is planning to remove Chief Justice Martha Koome from office. He started by kicking me out of his government, and he also did the same to Mithika Linturi,” Gachagua said.He accused President William Ruto’s administration of being uneasy with Koome’s leadership, arguing that the Judiciary is under attack because the Chief Justice refuses to be a “Yes Leader.”“When you kicked me out of your government, the people from the Mountain remained silent, and you thought they were fearful,” he said reffering to the centrl region residents living in counties around Mt Kenya.“We dare you to continue with the plan of removing Justice Koome because she has refused to be a ‘Yes, sir’ person,” he warned.He further vowed a hostile resistance against government.“If you chase our Martha Koome, don’t set foot in Meru. You chased Rigathi Gachagua, and the Mt. Kenya people were silent—you thought they were cowards,” Gachagua saw.Sworn critic Since his removal from office, Gachagua has become a vocal critic of the Ruto administration, frequently challenging government policies and decisions.Gachagua vowed to lead nationwide protests if the Chief Justice is ousted, insisting that he would not stand by and watch Ruto “destroy the leadership of Mt. Kenya.”His remarks come amid ongoing legal battles involving the Judiciary. Last month, former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Nelson Havi filed a petition with the Judicial Service Commission (JSC) seeking the removal of Chief Justice Koome and the entire Supreme Court bench, citing alleged misconduct and incompetence.Additionally, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) has launched investigations into graft allegations within the Judiciary. EACC Chairperson David Oginde confirmed that bribery claims against some judges are under review following a request for a probe by Chief Justice Koome.Gachagua, however, dismissed these developments as part of a broader political scheme and warned Ruto against attempting to oust the Chief Justice.